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Grell Sutcliff
Grell Sutcliff (グレル サトクリフ Gureru Satokurifu) is a Shinigami who poses as Angelina Durless's butler and is a main antagonist during the Jack the Ripper storyline in the manga and anime. Later in the anime, he becomes a supporting deuteragonist. Appearance Grell initially appears as a meek and feeble young man with long, brown hair tied back with a red ribbon, green eyes, and round glasses. He dresses in rather simple, mostly brown clothes to contrast his personality. However, it is later revealed that this is not his true appearance, as he is actually a Shinigami. In his Shinigami form, he has long, red hair, green eyes, ingenue eyelashes, sharklike teeth, and red-framed glasses with skulls dangling from chains on the frames. He also wears a suit like other Shinigami that includes gloves and a tie, high-heeled shoes, and a red coat he took off of Angelina's corpse, which he slings off his shoulders and wears around his elbows. Occasionally, his tie is replaced with a red-striped bow. He seems to think highly of his appearance, as he is upset when Sebastian Michaelis attempts to hit him in the face and he is upset to the point of becoming violent with Undertaker when he insults his "corpse."Kuroshitsuji anime, Episode 17 He is also distressed that he initially has to appear in his human form with the "out of vogue" brown hair and without make-up in front of others.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 9, page 17 He is 175cm (approximately 5.7 ft) tall. But since his high heels are 11cm（about 4.33 inches) tall, Grell appears to be just slightly shorter than Sebastian, who is already 186cm tall before wearing any shoes. Personality Grell, as Angelina's butler, is meek, bumbling and fairly ineffective at his job, ruining even simple things like tea and getting lost when driving a carriage. In the anime, this results in him staying at the Phantomhive manor to be trained by Sebastian, but his presence only serves to annoy and anger the entire Phantomhive household. Furthermore, whenever he messes something up, he has a tendency to overreact and attempts to commit suicide.Kuroshitsuji anime, Episode 3 Despite this, others only stop him when his suicide attempt would cause a large, bloody mess, and Sebastian informed him that he can kill himself off the Phantomhive premises, indicating a lack of friendship between himself and other servants. He would do this so often that after awhile even the Phantomhive servants gave up on trying to stop him, much to his surprise. As a Shinigami, though, he is over-the-top and flamboyant, with a tendency to use female nouns and pronouns when referring to himself. He also has a tendency to put things in terms of theater, referring to Angelina's death as the falling of curtains on a theater act,Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 11, page 17 and comparing his relationship with Sebastian to the famous play, Romeo and Juliet.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 11, page 27 He apparently has feelings for Sebastian, much to the latter's disgust, and gives Sebastian the nickname "Sebby" in the manga and "Sebasu-chan" (rhyming with Sebastian) in the anime. However, his affections are not limited to Sebastian, as he seems to find men, in general, attractive. For example, with William Spears, while he calls him a sadist, he seems enamored by his eyes, saying they send chills up his spine. He also hunts down Pluto, saying he made his hunk radar go off. In particular, he seems to favor those he deems immoral.Kuroshitsuji anime, Episode 18 The other Shinigami, however, do not seem to be overly fond of him, as William constantly refers to him as "trash." Grell's favorite favorite color is red, as he is described as the Shinigami in red by Angelina,Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 11, page 9 commits the Jack the Ripper murders so he can paint "ugly" women red with their blood,Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 9, page 28 and says ordinary women are not fit to wear the color.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 11, page 17 He also joined Angelina because he too wish to be able to give birth, but was unable to since he is a man. History When Angelina started the Jack the Ripper murders, he followed her around, as she was the reason his death list was so full. He reveals himself after one of the murders, and says he understands her feelings, because as a man, he cannot have children of his own.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 11, pages 9-10 He agrees to help her, and takes up the disguise of her butler to avoid suspicion. Manga's Synopsis Jack the Ripper Grell initially appears with Angelina and Lau in Ciel Phantomhive's London townhouse, searching for tea. He accompanies Lau, Ciel, Sebastian, and Angelina while they gather information on Jack the Ripper, but does not play much of a role. He also accompanies them to Aleister Chamber's party, where it is later revealed that he briefly left in order to commit another murder. Eventually, Ciel and Sebastian deduce that Jack the Ripper is Grell and Angelina, working together. They go to stand guard over the next victim, but he is able to get in to kill her anyway. He then reveals that he is a Shinigami, and they question why he broke the Shinigami rules of acting neutral, when he states that Angelina captivated him. He begins a brief confrontation, attacking Sebastian, and using his death scythe, he is able to gain the upper hand. He then takes notice of Angelina's hesitation in killing Ciel, and insists that she do it. When she says she cannot, and tries to explain, he kills her with his death scythe, stabbing her in the chest. He then takes her red coat off her corpse, stating that she is not fit to wear red. 190px|thumb|left|Grell and Sebastian duel after Grell kills Angelina. He turns to leave, but Ciel orders Sebastian to kill him. They engage in a fight again, and again, he gains the upper hand, landing a strong attack on Sebastian's chest with his death scythe, and revealing a rather dull cinematic record, much to his dismay. Sebastian then notes that his clothes are ruined, and takes off his coat. Charging at each other, Sebastian uses his coat to jam Grell's death scythe. He then begins to win, and pummels Grell in the face. After doing this for a while, he grabs Grell's death scythe and moves in to kill. Before he can land the blow, William Spears appears and uses his death scythe to stop him from killing Grell. He leaps down, smashing Grell's head into the pavement, and lists off all of the rules that Grell broke. He thanks Sebastian, then grabs Grell and drags him away by his hair. Noah's Ark Circus While not yet seen, after Baron Kelvin's manor is set on fire, the Shinigami are assigned various tasks. Apparently, Grell was given a mission relating to the Phantomhive family, which he is very excited about.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 35, page 15 Anime's Synopsis Relevant differences between the manga and anime will be covered here. It should be noted that the Noah's Ark Circus storyline is manga exclusive. Shard of Hope After Elizabeth Middleford is kidnapped by Drocell Keinz, Ciel attempts to find her alone. Grell finds Ciel and Pluto after the latter made his "hunk radar" go off, and teams up with the pair after Ciel promises Grell can kiss Sebastian if he helps. He first aids by explaining who Drocell is and follows Ciel and Pluto into the Mandalay manor. However, once inside, as he has to use scissors instead of his death scythe, he has a bit of a problem with cutting down the well-made dolls. Ciel abandons him briefly, leaving him to fend off the dolls on his own, while Ciel attempts to proceed to find Elizabeth on his own. Shortly thereafter, he makes his way out of the mansion with Pluto, and they meet up with Sebastian. They discover Elizabeth is in a sealed tower around the back of the mansion. He charges in with Sebastian, Pluto, and Ciel, but does not help much, lest he get injured, until Sebastian specifically requests his aid. When they finally leave, he throws himself at Sebastian in an attempt to to get his kiss, but Sebastian ducks out of the way resulting in Grell falling onto the floor face first. Sebastian discusses taking revenge for Angelina's murder, prompting Grell to flee stating he will have to collect his promised kiss another time. Book of Doomsday Grell is sent to Earth to retrieve a stolen magic play, on William's orders, and after getting tired, falls asleep so deeply, some humans believe he is dead and they send his "corpse" to Undertaker. When Ciel and Sebastian arrive at Undertaker's to get more information, he tags along, and sneaks into the cult's convent with them, in order to investigate further. While inside, he identifies the priest's Book of Doomsday as not being the stolen magic play, but tries to get closer to him anyway by impersonating a child to join the Heaven's Choir. However, he is not capable of doing so, and Ciel is left as the only one of the three who can successfully go undercover. Shortly thereafter, when Angela appears and kidnaps Ciel, he helps free Sebastian from her use of the magic play to tie him up and charges after her with Sebastian, chasing her to the Shinigami library. He aids in the subsequent battle against her, using a borrowed death scythe to help pin her up against the wall. However, when she aims to destroy the place, he is forced to flee. Conspiracy and Revenge He shows up in the burning London, initially mocking the dead, but then gets to work, helping to reap the many souls, along with Undertaker and William. Kuroshitsuji II Opening He is shown in a red room among a pile of his dolls, holding the Sebastian doll in his hand. He kisses the doll on its cheek before standing and raming his death scythe through two dolls meant to be Ciel Phantomhive and Alois Trancy. The Female Butler Grell appears atop a building in London, saying that it's time for death in London. As a young woman named Ellen seems to spontaneously combust, he comments on her burning death. Later, as Sebastian is chasing Mrs. Turner after she runs through London setting random people on fire with her camera and magnesium, the cause of the woman and others' deaths, he attacks Sebastian. Sebastian asks why he has not collected the souls of the people Mrs. Turner has set on fire during her run through London. Grell answers that his ledger states he is only after one soul, Mrs. Turner's, and she will commit suicide five minutes after midnight. Grell and Sebastian work together to find Mrs. Turner, who has Ciel atop Big Ben. The clock strikes midnight and Grell and Sebastian rush to the top. Seeing the camera, he starts to pose for it, immune to the flash and magnesium combo since he is a Shinigami. Five minutes after midnight the Turner woman burns and Grell has a fit due to her soul burning as well. He remarks that William won't be happy but before leaving to tell him, he takes a picture of Sebastian and himself using Mrs. Turner's camera. =Meeting Claude= When Alois begins to die from his stab wound, Grell goes to collect his soul. Upon meeting Alois he looks up his history and reveals that Alois is actually Jim McCain and that Hannah is a demon. After briefly struggling with her, Grell is able stab Hannah through her stomach with his chainsaw only to find himself soaked in blood and alone with Claude. Claude asks if Grell is going to take back the soul he stole and whether he is allied with Sebastian. Grell responds that he will just sit back and watch as "things have gotten interesting" and wonders to himself just what he means to Sebastian. As shown in previews for episode 10, Grell has been apparently staying at Trancy Manor. Death Scythe Grell has illegally modified his death scythe to function like a chainsaw, because he says the average death scythe is old-fashioned. He apparently ordered it special and claims it is of first-rate quality. It has been shown to have the normal functions of a death scythe, including attack, defense, playing of cinematic records, and soul collection. However, Grell claims that it has the additional ability to "play a duet within the soul's last moments."Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 9, page 27 Because it works like a chainsaw, if the rotating mechanisms within the death scythe jam, it is rendered ineffectual.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 12, page 11 He apparently carries it with him, as he has it right after the murder of the last prostitute, but as he was not seen with it when walking out of her house, it is unknown where he stores it. After the Jack the Ripper incident, he is demoted, and is given two pairs of scissors to use instead, which are much slower and more ineffective, as shown by how his previous death scythe could cut through anything, while the scissors cannot even cut through a steel doll. However, when he is needed, William allows him to borrow a death scythe similar to his own''Kuroshitsuji'' anime, Episode 18 and later returns his original death scythe.Kuroshitsuji anime, Episode 24 He is also seen using it for transportation. Quotes *(To Sebastian:) "I really wanna do some vigorous exercise with you."Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 9, page 28 *"Oh, Little Sebast, I do love red the most. Hair, clothes, lipstick, I love them to be red. That's why I love using fresh blood to do make-up for those ugly women. The more flamboyant a woman is, the more she's as beautiful as a poisonous flower, right?" *"Lately, I've only been encountering unsophisticated prey. My scythe and I are unsatisfied."Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 9, page 28 *"Even if I'm like this, I'm still the butler of '''death'!'Kuroshitsuji'' manga, Chapter 9, page 30 *(To Sebastian:) "''Don't say that. I'm sure you'll become addicted to the taste of my 'death scythe."Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 10, page 6 *"A good man's past makes people curious! But if he's a bad man, then it makes me wanna see even more!"Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 10, page 12 *"I'm going to use the heels of my shoes to step on this cold, uncaring face of yours! I want you to lick my shoes clean!"Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 11, page 25 *(To Sebastian:) "This is great! I'm getting goosebumps all over my body, Little Sebast! If I have your child, I will definitely give birth to it!"Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 11, page 30 *''"I'm a butler to die for!"'' *''"I am the queen of all fruits!"'' *(To Claude) Ally? What's with that cliched word? Supreme love is always a battle to death! Trivia *Despite having a fairly large role in the anime (appearing every few episodes), Grell has not made an appearance in the manga since the "Jack the Ripper" arc. Based on dialogue between William and Ronald it appears that a future appearance is possible. *When Grell is commiting the "Jack the Ripper" ''murders with Madame Red he is shown changing his appearance, but does not hide his actual name, *In the manga while in his butler form, Grell does not show an attraction to Sebastian. This is most likely because he had some intrest in Madame Red. In the anime he is shown to have fallen in love with Sebastian the moment they met, and spends most of his time thinking about him. *In the anime when Grell is in his butler form he is shown to be useless as he can't do anything right and keeps causing destruction. In the manga instead, Grell is shown to be a competent butler and his only flaw was his inability to make tea correctly. (He uses salt instead of sugar.) *Also only in the manga, Grell mentions that he wears make up. He claims that he tried very hard to be a proper butler, but hated having to appear in front of a "cute guy" (Sebastian) without any of it on. *His name is similar to Peter Sutcliff, an English serial killer dubbed "''The Yorkshire Ripper." *His name is sometimes written as ''Grell Sutcliffe or Grelle Sutcliff. ''The English manga uses the latter. *He is a maniac/addict of Sebastian and has a passionate crush on him from their first meeting. In the anime, he agrees to help Ciel if Ciel will grant his wish, namely, permission to kiss Sebastian (with tongue or not). Ciel agrees, knowing Sebastian will never permit it. (indeed, Sebastian avoids Grell and threatens to kill him.) *After his chainsaw is replaced with scissors, said scissors shrink in size with each story arc that Grell appears in. *In Kuroshitsuji II, Grell's design is slightly changed. His vest, that was initially black, is changed to brown and his hair appears to be darker. His eyes have also been colored so that his pupils are a dark green and his irises are a light green. *Grell seems to be fond of the English language as he tends to throw in English words and phrases in his dialogue. *In reference to his job as a Shinigami, Grell's favorite word appears to be "death". *In a character "interview" written by Toboso Yana, Grell talks rather openly about being transexual and wanting a sex change. In the same interview, he also admits to liking William just as much as Sebastian for the same reasons. *In the manga and anime when Grell is in his butler form he is extremely reserved and shy, which is the opposite of how he truly acts. The musical instead portrays his true personality in both of his forms, meaning he is still prone to flirting with Sebastian even when he is supposed to be in disguise. *Possibly due to Sebastian being more willing to indulge him, in Kuroshitsuji II Grell seems to believe that his feelings for Sebastian are requited. He tells Sebastian that he wants to take a "lovers photograph" with him and indirectly tells Claude that he is Sebastian's lover. He also does not flirt with Claude, which is quite shocking since Grell has a fondness for "cute" guys. *In episode 3 of the first season he reveals that he has a rather good singing voice. *In episode 10 of Kuroshitsuji II he has apparently taken up photography as throughout the episode he is seen with a red camera. Grell first expressed intrest in this subject in episode 3. References Navigation Category:Characters Category:Shinigami